'Manorexia' on the rise: Experts blame pressure from male models as more men than ever suffer eating disorders

Daily Mail 07/13/2011 18:23

Role model: Experts believe the obsession to achieve the toned figure of male models has led to rates of eating disorders among men reaching a record high

The pressure to look like a male model is driving more men to develop dangerous eating disorders, experts warned today. GPs have been warned to be on the lookout for the potentially fatal conditions, which include anorexia and bulimia, after a rise in the number of those affected.

Men may be reluctant to admit they have a problem as the issue has until now been seen as something affecting mainly teenage girls.

Medical experts blame the surge on an obsession with looking good by having bulging biceps and a six-pack stomach.

NHS figures have shown a 66 per cent increase in hospital admissions in England for male eating disorders over the last decade.

A spokesman for the charity beat said the rise could be attributed to the struggle to attain a 'perfect' body shape.

She said: 'Sufferers can become obsessed with their weight or they can obsess over exercise and with how many calories they are eating.

'Exercise is a major factor with eating disorders in men in particular. They become obsessed with exercising every single day, if not more, and it can take over their life without them realising there may be a more deep-seated reason behind it.

'That is when it becomes an eating disorder.

'The pressure these days on guys to have the perfect figure is very similar to that which has and continues to affect women.

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